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@Gary Leeds UK and @South Africa C4 user - did the Announcement bugs get fixed?

Routines are not linked to the C4 skill. They are tied to the underlying Alexa account.

Sent sent you a pm

The problem appears to be related to the recent 510 firmware and an issue with the camera driver’s authentication. Here are my notes after a support call this morning I still have a minor issue in the iOS ap with an old Wirepath camera and haven’t verified that the Android ap displays the cameras but I get my live feeds on T3s faster than ever. In a nutshell the extreme delay on the 710s was because the Third Substream was not active and C4 would go to mpeg after multiple attempts at H.264 and the latest firmware changed how the streams were served (I don’t really understand those details).On the 710 we changed:System Settings/Hardware settings - checked enable third stream. This requires the camera to reboot.Video/Audio - Change the main stream to H.264 video encoding and H.264+ to off. Third stream is now selectable and video encoding is H.264. Also changed a bitrate setting down from the camera default to 8192.Then In Composer properties for each driver change authentication type from Basic to Digest. Then go to Camera Test, get the H.264 URL and run test. If it gets past “Calculating frame rate”, all is good. (This is the step where he originally thought there was a firmware issue but coworker said try changing to digest).Verify in Advanced Properties that Stream type was Third Stream and Connection method was LUMA NVR (they were).The cameras now pop in in 1-2 seconds, which is the best it’s ever been.

FYI - the cameras that exhibit the problem are all LUMA 710 models.

It appears that a remote firmware update was done on the NVR Friday just before I noticed the problem. Makes sense to start looking there, though I don’t totally understand the changes listed in the firmware file (LUMA 510 V3.4.95 build 200708 released in October). V3.4.95 build 200708 Priority: REQUIRED Released: 28 Oct 2020 Models Affected LUM-510-NVR-4CH-0T LUM-510-NVR-4CH-1T Issues Resolved LUM-510-NVR-8CH-0T LUM-510-NVR-8CH-1T LUM-510-NVR-16CH-0T LUM-510-NVR-16CH-2T 1. Fixed purple line/artifact on Luma x10 series IP cameras when using the plugin free solution. 2. When accessing an NVR remotely using a plug-free browser, an additional port must be forwarded (port 7681). This port can now be translated to a different port number. You can port forward device’s 7681 to any free external port. 3. Optimized the solution for pulling the 3rd stream for control systems when using Luma x10 series IP cameras. Previously, when a Luma 510 NVR and more than four Luma IP cameras were using the 3rd stream for control, some camera streams would appear blank when viewed from the control interface. The workaround was to connect the IP cameras directly to a network switch. This firmware fixes this problem, eliminating the need to connect the Luma IP cameras to a separate switch. Note: When a large Luma NVR project requires over four camera streams to be viewed concurrently through the control system (i.e. concurrently on 4 different panels or apps at the same time), an additional network switch is still required. Known Issues 1. In multi-channel grid view you get a blank screen if your camera’s substream is set to MJPEG. With the plugin free feature you cannot use MJPEG for the substream. Log in to the camera’s local interface to change substream from MJPEG to H.264. 2. You must use the Luma Video Player to hear audio on footage exported from the NVR. The Luma Video Player is available on PC. Mac’s are not supported at this time. 3. If the recorder has a pre-event recording, a 3–5 second delay is required before the Next Event button moves the footage to the next event. 4. OvrC is unable to pull a snapshot from a camera. 5. Playback grid selection resets after timeline selection; camera must be re-selected to begin footage playback. 6. Online users list does not populate active connections. 7. C4 Navigation Driver: When in Privacy Mode, using Enable/Disable All commands may cause a reboot. Use individual enable/disable commands instead. 8. Point of Sale (PoS) recordings are not categorized in continuous mode. 9. On Mac computers, the Point of Sale (PoS) feature does not work during video playback. 10.VCA Color Code incorrect on recorder timeline; it should be purple, not red.

Thanks. There is some info in there I can use. The camera stream configurations were never changed from the defaults and I have no idea how each should be set for optimum recording quality on the 510 and have another stream set for the T3s so I suspect there could be some improvement. But the bizarre thing is everything was working fine for months until a couple days ago with no obvious changes. Is there some sort of step by step guide somewhere on how to best configure the individual cameras? The ones with the biggest problem are all Luma 710 cameras. The older Luma 500 and HikVision camera load quickly.

No progress with the Chime. I wasn’t going to try mounting it outside until I get get a C4 accessory kit. (Deleted comments on camera issues unrelated to Chime)

Verified I have the latest firmware on the 510 so that isn’t it. Camera feeds load instantly through the Luma driver; it’s a C4 navigator problem on T3 and iOS ap. On both of those the individual camera feeds will eventually load but on my wife’s Android phone she will get spinning circles for a while and then gets a message like “ap keeps closing” (even though the circle is still spinning) and the feed never loads. Anyone seeing anything similar? Nothing has changed in my system for weeks (that I’m aware of) - can anyone suggest how to debug this?

I have a LUMA 510 NVR attached to a CA-10 controller running 3.1.2. No change to my camera setup in months. If I selected a camera from the T3 or in programming it showed the feed in a second or two - nearly instantaneous. Today (yesterday?) I noticed really strange behavior. When selecting an individual camera I now see a spinning circle for 13-15 seconds, a totally blank screen for the next 6-7 seconds and then the picture pops in. Same thing if I jump to a camera in programming. If I then scroll through the cameras, some act the same way with the huge delay, some pop in right away. The cameras I use the most have the strange delay, the others pop right in. I have rebooted everything (switch, NVR, router, controller) and still see the same problem. Also power cycled those devices. No change. Does anyone have an idea as to what else it could be? And how I can fix it? I rely heavily on my cameras and they are borderline unusable through C4. I know 3.1.3 changed camera processing but I’d rather understand/ fix my current system before upgrading. (Also tried refreshing navigators).

The drivers on the Rollease automation site are the v2 Annex drivers. You would have to check the versions against those in the C4 driver database but, looking at the versions on the Rollease site and going from memory, I believe the ones in the C4 database are more recent.

Fair. But we’re on a C4 forum, so I presume most are pretty committed to Control4.

Probably better with T3/T4. Can’t imagine OSD would be useful (no two-way audio). We’ll know more when the Intercom function is integrated into the iOS ap. I always have the iOS C4 opened on my iPad so I haven’t paid attention to load time.

The Chime wireless version would replace a standard 2wire doorbell as well, so that’s only a Ring advantage for a few weeks.

I have both the Ring Elite and C4 Chime, both connected by PoE. The image on the Chime is noticeably crisper/cleaner and the camera has a wider field. Sound quality (especially live conversation) on the Chime is so much better than the Ring. (Good to very good vs. poor to unintelligible) Are you saying that Amazon now has an API that Savant uses to allow local video integration? If so, that’s a change in direction for them. They had previously made it clear to developers any access was going to be very limited. I do agree with you that C4 has been slow with integration of video doorbells (ditto garage door openers) that are key components in home automation for many.

@anon2828your wishes will never happen. C4 Chime history is a lot easier to access than Ring history (and faster). If you want Echo devices to act as your doorbell Ring is a better choice than Chime. In every other category Chime is better if you have a C4 system. And this is coming from someone who is/was a huge Ring fan. If you do not have a video doorbell today, have C4 and are deciding between a Ring and a Chime, a Chime is the way to go. Better camera, better integration, local recording and (when you factor in Ring driver cost), less expensive.

What you describe can also happen if the driver doesn’t think it’s activated. Check the properties page and if it says not active delete/renter the last character of the key and hit Set.

Does it matter if there is an concurrent announcement in an audio zone?

I just use an announcement of a doorbell sound.. No words. There is a slight delay but far less confusing than with a spoken announcement. I actually stopped Alexa and use T3s and in ceiling speakers now.

Just noticed you already have a Cat cable to the doorbell. Get a Chime PoE version and use that cable to wire and power the doorbell. No transformer needed and more reliable connection. No transformers, no additional wiring, no license cost, no Ring ap, no dealer visit (probably), no hassle.

If you haven’t bought the Rings yet consider the new C4 Chime video doorbell. Much better audio/video quality, faster response, one ap and free driver. I was a big Ring fan but the chime is a significantly better option for anyone with a C4 system. [Edit: I see you already have them. Personally, I’d try to sell them if you could. I’ve been testing Chime for a couple days and what an improvement.] To answer your other question with the Ring or the Chime run the wires from the secondary of the doorbell to an input on the controller, though that wouldn’t be needed with the Chime since you get a local signal on button press.

Do you have issues in Zones where no audio is playing when the Announcement is triggered?

Correct. No Settings on Neeo.

Composer HE 3.2.0 Build 587744-res I don’t have Essential Lighting or KNX. The newest hardware I have is Neeo Remote, CA-10, and the Chime. None of them show Settings on the Properties page in either a 3.1.2 or 3.2.0 project. Small unrelated point - the links in the Chime documentation bring you to a Dealer Log in page, so they aren’t useful.

In HE I only see Properties, Actions, Documentation and LUA. No Settings.